APPS & SITES

Eels in the water?

Has anyone else been here? At one point, I looked down and saw about a hundred strange slithering creatures in the water. Usually, I saw gaping mouths and slimy twisting. It creeped me out the maximum level. I couldn’t figure out what they were, and also I didn’t want to lean over the edge too long. The idea of falling in was the stuff of horrors!

Daily Photo – The Roman Cistern in Istanbul

I heard there were two Medusa head statues hidden around the cisterns. I went down here with the mission to find both of them… I've always been a big gamer, D&D guy, etc etc, so having a mission like that was very exciting for me. I found both of them and had many other “events” along the way. I'll save those for future posts and photos from this incredible underground structure.

Phantom 4 Review

Yes, yes, I’m excited about the new Mavic from DJI! But before I get that review up, don’t miss the “Phantom 4 Review” here on the site. Here’s the video review below that features the same location as today’s Daily Photo!

Daily Photo – Approaching the Ruined Dock in Dunedin

Here's a photo I got a bit earlier during the quadcopter flight. Note it wasn't a lot earlier — maybe just 10 minutes. But you can see the difference in the video above how the light went from This orange to That pink in such a short time. These kind of sunrises are rare, so, to me, I end up taking hundreds and hundreds of photos to get the full range of colors over that limited 20-30 minute span. Another reason is because when you are watching the sunset, minute-by-minute, you don't even notice the subtle color changes… looking back through Lightroom later on really reminds you of all the amazing color changes.

Behind the Scenes

Here’s our Facebook Live video that shows us arriving at the Berlin wall (after crossing this bridge) and quite excited. There’s a bit of Berlin Wall trivia in here too!

Daily Photo – Oberbaumbrucke bridge across the Spree river in Berlin

Upon arrival, Curtis and I jumped in an amazing car (the Audi S8 — thanks Audi!) and we drove immediately over to the Berlin Wall. I've always wanted to visit this place, being an armchair history buff. It didn't disappoint at all, and we took photos here all through the sunset. There's a 1.5 KM stretch of the wall that still stands and has been decorated by hundreds of artists. After that, we crossed the street and want about half a click down the river Spree to see this scene of the Oberbaumbrucke bridge as the sun was dipping below the horizon.

India Trip

I’m looking at doing another train trip across India. The last train I took across Southern India (The Southern Splendor) was pretty fun. The train itself was a bit long-in-the-tooth, but still had a certain charm. It wasn’t an inexpensive trip, and I would have expected a higher quality train, but it wasn’t the end of the world… I’m happy anywhere, really. But I’m looking into another train line that looks incredible. No tickets have been booked or anything, but I’ve been thinking about it a lot!

Daily Photo – Scarlett in India

It's great to take the kids with me on these trips because I always have at least one willing photo-subject in Scarlett. The funniest thing is after I take the photos, she's VERY demanding and wanting to look at them all in the back of the camera. If she's not satisfied, she just won't stand for it and makes further demands that I take more photos.

Behind the Scenes at the Blue Mosque

Here’s some live FB broadcasts I did from this incredible mosque I visited a few days ago. I took A LOT of photos, and I’ll share them all in coming weeks, so stay tuned as I work through them!

Daily Photo – The Blue Mosque at Sunset

I did a lot of research before going to Istanbul to find the best places to see the sunset. I usually don't do quite so much research, but I knew my time was limited. I did visit a lot of rooftop bars and restaurants, but I reckon this is one of the best. It's atop the Seven Hills Hotel at the not surprisingly-named Seven Hills Restaurant. They have great food and incredible views of both this mosque and the Hagia Sophia.

Becoming an Artist Group

Please come join our very fun group on Facebook! We only have one rule there: Be Nice. 🙂 That just about covers everything, doesn’t it?

Daily Photo – Huka Falls

Someone told me that Huka Falls is the #1 most visited tourist attraction in New Zealand. Is that possible? I suppose maybe so… It is pretty awesome. I guess one reason it surprises me is because it's a multiple-hour drive from Auckland and not exactly convenient when it comes to time. I would think Hobbiton Movie Set or something like that would be #1, but what do I know? Not much apparently! 🙂

The Space Whale was in a perfect location for maximum traffic, right at 6 O’Clock and the Esplanade, just in front of Center Camp. You coulnd’t help but pass it at least ten times or more. Each time it looked different and wonderful.

Here’s the Da Vinci virus. When people would turn it, all the gears would rotate and it was absolutely mesmerizing.

Here’s a random French girl at sunrise! She was here with her boyfriend and he was trying to take pictures with his camera. But then he saw my big camera and told me to do it instead! So we spent about 10 minutes watching her dance around at sunrise… a good one!

I take hundreds of random little photos l like this… most of them I don’t publish, but I’ll start sharing a few here and there with you! 🙂

While shooting in the Thunderdome, this lovely lady came over to peer into my camera!

Night Skiing

I’ve lived here for almost five years and never gone night skiing! Shame on me… I suck. I gotta get out more! 🙂

Daily Photo – Coronet at Sunset

This photo got mixed reactions when I put it online. Some people really hated it! Hey, that's okay. I like it and think it's kinda cool. I think it's just such an unusual situation with artificially lit snow at sunrise. Not really a common scene!

Masterclass

I recently went over and bought the Masterclass with Kevin Spacey where he teaches acting. I have no desire in becoming an actor — I just really like Kevin Spacey! I watch it every morning while I’m having my coffee 🙂

Daily Photo – Dinner in Phulay Bay

We stayed at the Ritz-Carlton here in Krabi, Thailand, and there was no shortage of dinner options. Sometimes I like to “get away” from the hotel/resort to try out other places, but these restaurants were SO GOOD, I figured, “Why bother?” Every night was a different kind of culinary sensation. On this particular night, we ate out on the deck and could hear the waves crashing on the nearby shore. Heaven!